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BES'fAVAlLABLE COPY T. F.GAYNOR. ELECTRIC SWITGH.

(No Model.)

Patented July 16 ii/617M). oflwoz 4,,

a. PETERS. rmvumnp WM move BEST AVAsLABLE COP,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS l. GAYNOR, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO THE GAYNOR ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 406,897, dated July 16, 1889.

Application filed January 23, 1888. Serial No. 261,636. (No model.)

1'0 all "Lu/tum it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS F. GAYNOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of J eiferson and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention has for its object to improve that class of electric switches and lightningarresters in which plugs are usually inserted in holes between the plates to make the proper electric connections by substituting for said plugs, which are liable to be misplaced or which may drop out of their positions between the plates, a permanently-pivoted lever having a suitable spring-bearing to make a sliding contact with the plate to be connected, a handle by which the lever is properly adjusted, a stop device by which the lever is arrested and held in its proper position, an end so designed as to indicate the nature of the connection made, together with a printed or otherwise marked design by which the nature of the connection may be read and observed.

My object is also to so design the parts and designate their office that persons inexperienced in the management of electric appliances may readily know at a glance the proper ollice of each of the parts of the switch and be enabled to quickly make the connections and changes desired.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of an electric switch provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the line a b, Fig. 1. Fig. is a cross-section of the lever through the line d, Fig. 1. Fig. i is the circnitfwheel mechanism of an electric signalbox. Fig. 5 is a modified construction of the index parts of the invention. Fig. 6 is a modified construction of the lever. Fig. 7 is a sectional view through the handle of Fig. 0. Fig. 8 is a section through the line e and c of Fig. 1. I

In the drawings similar letters refer to similar parts throughoutthe several views.

The letter A indicates a base of hard rubber or other insulating material, to which the other parts of the switch are attached by screws, as shown at 21 22. r B represents a metal plate, to which omj.

end of the conducting line-wire f of the cir cuit is attached through the binding-post mu C represents another metal plate, to which the other end of the line-wire f of the circuit is attached through the post 71.

0 represents a post, to which a local or instrument line-wire 'i is connected to plate C.

q is the post by which the other end of the local wire t" is connected to plate 13.

u uu to represent bindingserews.

L represents a switch-lever, which is pivoted upon the center stud H. The screw P keeps the lever L in place upon the stud ll. A proper tension upon the lever is made by the friction-washer a.

S indicates a hard-rubber handle screwed tightly upon the lever by means of the screw w. The head of the screw w is convex, and is pressed into the countersunk stop-holes K K K by the tension of the friction-washer w.

The lever L, when turned around upon its pivot l-l, causes the head of the screw as to pass out of the stop-holes K K K and slide upon the plates B and C until the proper position is reached, when the screw-head 9c springs into the proper registering stop-hole K, caused by theprcssure of the washer llupon the lever L, as already stated. y represents a contactspring attached to the lever L by the screw .15. It has two tongues 1 y y y, extending beyond the width of the lever upon each side, which bear frictionally upon the plates B C G beneath. The lever, with all its metallic attachments, is insulated from the plates B C G by the base A, except where the contact-spring comes in contact therewith. The outer end of the leverL t-erminates in a pointer Upon the face of the base, near its periphery, printed or stamped letters, figures, or characters are placed, which 9 indicate the connection made by the switchlever when the latter points to them.

Z Z Z represent screws in holes through the base A to attach the whole instrument to the machine or fixture where it is to be used.

The numerals l 2 3 4 show where iudices may be placed upon the plates B C, instead of upon the base, if desired.

Fig. at shows the circuit-breaking wheel and contact-springs of an electric signal-box. The clock-work may be of any ordinary or wellknown construction, so is consequently omit ted.- Reference may be had, however, to my application for Letters Patent for an improved electric signal'box of even date herewith, in which the utility and application of my improved switch may be more fully seen and understood, together with a complete signalboX mechanism.

Fig. 5 shows a modified constructionv of the index parts of the switch. Any other suit able arrangement can be used in which the index and index-characters can be made tov coincide.

The ad vantages and operation of the switch ire as follows: The instrument is placed to -.-correct. ,word, which in the drawings is In, to which the polnter directs the eye.

lest advantage when it is attached to its support in such a manner as to bring its face in 1 vertical position, as the normal position of the lever L is then perpendicular, which suggests to the observer that the local mechanism is in circuit-and that the connections are This is supplemented by the index- The spaces 13 and 14 between the ground-plate G and the plates B and C are also in such positions that metallic particles are not liable to fall into them and make ground-connections with the plates B and C; so, also, for the same reason, are the plates B and C separated by an almost vertical space at 15. By means of the handle S the switch can be quickly moved to any other position as, for instance, to the position indicated by the indexed words Out, Grounded right, Grounded left, &e.and the connection required to be made is plainly shown by the coincidence of the pointer and the index-characters. The stop-holes K K K hold the lever in proper position when the adjustment is made. In the drawings the vertical position of the lever brings the contactspring y entirely upon the plate C, so that, being insulated otherwise, it has no effect upon the circuit which is from the battery 18 to the line f to .post 72, through plate 0 to post 0, through local line i to post 16, through contactsprin g 12, through wheel 10 to contactspring 11, to post 17, through line 2" to post q, through plate B to post m, to line f, to battery 18.

When the lever is moved to position indicated by the word Out, then the local line in which the circtiitu'heel is shown is shortcircuited, the circuit being from plate C through the c'ontact-springy to plate B to line f, thus practically cutting out of circuit the by the words Grounded left or Grounded right,) the plate 13 or plate 0 is connected with the ground-plate G through the lever contact-spring y, which rests upon the groundplate G andone of the plates 13 L1, thus establishing a ground-connection for the line-wire f f through post t and groundline f, and short-circuiting the local line it. In other words, if the switch isset upon the words Grounded right, it signifies that the part of the main line to the right of the switch has a ground-connection therewith. The left leg of the circuit may be opened anywhere between post (1 and battery 18 and the local line taken out of circuit.

When the switch is set to the left, the above conditions are reversed. Again, if it is desired to put the instrument-line into the main circuit, and the main line is to be grounded upon the right of the instrument, (or on the left, as may be wished) the setting of the switch-lever to the properindex-words would indicate that the correct connection was made. Then this kind of a connection is to be made, the line-wire is disconnected from the binding-post of theplate upon which the lever contact-spring is resting, thus cut ting off all connection with that part of the main line. The switch is also a lightningarrester, as the atmospheric electricity can pass from the line, through plates B or C, to the serrated edge of the groundplate G, thence to the ground.

A modification of the lightning-arrester is shown in the screw arrangement shown at 19 in Figs. 1 and S, by which the adjustment may be made very accurately, if desired.

The switch-lever and the contactspring may be integral, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, or the lever may be made to bear directly upon theplates or upon springs aifixed there to, Without departing from the plan of my invention, as I do not limit myself to the particular manner of construction shown in the d rawin gs.

It can be seen that the lever with the two line-plates, or with either one of the lineplates and the ground-plate, may be made to close the circuit and make a complete instrument.

In Fig. 1 the dotted lines show the plate 15 as having a ground-connection with the center plate G through the lever L, and the in dex-words are such as are appropriate for an electric signal-box, more fully described in my application for Letters Patent of even date herewith; but it is obvious that the ground-plate G can be made the terminal of another metallic circuit, in which other electrical apparatus could be placed, if desired. So,

also, other instruments could be placed in the instrument-loop i i, in which the circuitwheel mechanism is shown, or else substituted therefor.

The switch can be used for any telegraph or electric-light circuit, or for any purpose where electric switches are usuallyemployed.

The index and index -characters can be changed to suit the proper conditions.

By the term insulating-base I mean a base of electrically-insulating material which not only insulates the parts of the switch from each other, but also insulates the whole instrument from the supportto which it is aliixed when in use.

By the term plate herein used I mean an y metallic material that is provided with thc connections and terminals substantially as described.

1 claim- In an electric switch, an insulating-base, in combination with two line-plates, a ground- BEST AVAlLABLE COP plate, and a pivoted (50llttCt-1OVCL' having a spring-tei'ision contact upon the plate and provided with a stop projection, the plates having registering stop-holes for the stop projection of the lever to enter into, the base or plates having characters which designate the nature of the connection made when the index of the lever is brought into registering position therewith, substantially as described.

THOMAS F. GAYNOR.

Witnesses:

T. F. OBRIEN, L. S. DAY. 

